Arrivals & Departures - rules changed ....

[whole diary]

[GBM]

I've said it before (but not in this thread!) that published public transport times should be the time at which final boarding gate is closed, and not some internal operational time like when the thing actually starts to move.  For train, the "boarding gate" is barriers closing or train joining at an open station.

I suspect I might be taking a minority view here!

Try boarding a plane at time of departure.....

Try telling late boarding BUS passengers that!
They generally say "That's lucky I managed to catch you".  "No, you were late boarding, I should have departed earlier. Oh look, another later passenger running for this (even later now) bus" 

[Fourbee]

...and that person is the first step to achieving 3* buses in a row and making every other person on the bus later and every subsequent intending passenger later as the effect snowballs.

*service frequency dependent, could be more, could be less, but the principle has been proven.

[grahame]

The "rule" for buses - at least as done at Swindon and Bath bus stations - seems to be that provided you're on / in the queue by the published time, you'll get on (capacity allowing).  Not a bad way to provide a public service - telling the public the time they need to be there.    I've no objection to "typically the bus will pull away a minute or two later, once departure procedures are completed".

And why not extend that to trains - the 18:03 PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) -> PNZ moving to an advertised time of 18:00 but pulling away once everyone had gotten on - and perhaps fewer people jumping on at the barrier end and walking through.   "typically the train will pull away a couple of minutes later".